Player Previews: 2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores

2014-15 Boston College hockey sophomores form a large class on the Eagles’ roster, and many of them will be key contributors to this year’s team.

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In fact, with nine sophomores on the list, they are the largest class. Some leaders and top talents on the Eagles are here, including the goalie.

As there are a number of sophomores, there is much to be expected of them.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Adam Gilmour

Forward | Hanover, MA

20-year old Gilmour enters his second season on the Heights. In his first, he played in 40 games and notched 20 points; Eagles fans may recall how Gilmour had a two-goal performance against Boston University in January, but his first career goal came in an overtime winner at Northeastern on November 2, 2013. In total, Gilmour had seven goals in 2013-14 and was +6 overall.

Prior to Boston College, Adam Gilmour, a fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2012, played with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL and was their team leader in points.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Thatcher Demko

Goaltender | San Diego, CA

Demko is Boston College’s starting goalie for a second season, helping lead the Eagles into the Frozen Four as a true freshman. He went 16-5-3 in net for Boston College last season with a .919 save percentage.

After being named the full-time starter in January, Thatcher Demko got hot, eventually winning nine games in a row while the team’s goalie, then helping Boston College through the Northeast Regional in March.

Demko was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft in June, the first Eagles goalie to be taken in ten years. He was widely considered the best goalie in the draft. Boston College will be looking for a big season out of Demko with the starter’s job all to himself.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Steve Santini

Defenseman | Mahopac, NY

Like so many other of his teammates, 19-year old Santini is property of an NHL franchise; in his case, it is the New Jersey Devils.

The sophomore made it into 35 games last season, totaling just 11 points but notching one of the team’s best plus-minus marks with a +26 rating. Santini’s first career goal came in Boston College’s big win over RPI in the second game of his career.

He missed some time last year playing for the United States in the 2014 World Juniors alongside Ian McCoshen and Demko.

By this own evaluation, Santini is not going to put up the numbers that the Eagles’ top two-way defensemen get, but he is going to hustle on both ends of the ice.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Ian McCoshen

Defenseman | Faribault, MN

McCoshen, like freshman Zach Sanford, most recently played for Waterloo of the USHL before arriving at Boston College. The 6-foot-3, 218 pound defenseman is also experienced on the international circuit, having played on the US World Juniors team with Demko and Santini.

Last year, McCoshen found himself paired with Mike Matheson on defense, another Florida draft pick who was taken in the first round; McCoshen just missed out on making the first round himself.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Matt Gaudreau

Forward | Carneys Point, NJ

Casual Boston College fans may go to games and see “Gaudreau” on a jersey and get excited, but if he is even a fraction as good as his older brother, he will be fine.

Gaudreau appeared in nine games last season, scoring his first NCAA goal and point in Boston College’s 11-0 rout of the Army Black Knights.

Before Boston College, the younger Gaudreau also played in the USHL, but for the Omaha Lancers. In his two seasons there, he had 22 points and 18 points, respectively.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Ryan Fitzgerald

Forward | North Reading, MA

Fitzgerald, a Boston Bruins fourth-round pick from 2013, had the most points of any freshman skater last season with 29. Appearing in all 40 games, he scored 13 goals, including two in the NCAA Tournament (one against UMass-Lowell, the other against Union) and four on the power play.

With the mass departure of top-line talent on the Eagles this past offseason, it is not a stretch to suggest that Fitzgerald may be a go-to player in 2014-15.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Scott Savage

Defenseman | San Clemente, CA

Savage, the other California native on the Boston College hockey roster, was second only to Matheson in terms of defenseman points with 18; four of them were goals. He had two assists in his NCAA debut against RPI, and scored his first goal in the following game against Wisconsin.

Savage went undrafted this summer, but he did a decent job at playing a two-way game last season and figures to put forth another steady year.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Chris Calnan

Forward | Norwell, MA

Calnan is a third-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks from 2012 who made it into 37 games as a true freshman last season. The 20-year old was the team leader in points (49 in 31 games) for the South Shore Kings of the EJHL, and was a 55-point scorer the prior year for his high school, Noble and Greenough in Dedham.

2014-15 Boston College Hockey Sophomores:
Austin Cangelosi

Forward | Estero, FL

Cangelosi was a top freshman performer during the 2013-14 season who will be called upon for more this year. Appearing in all 40 games, he posted ten goals and 16 assists with a +15 rating.

At 5-foot-7, he is one of the shortest players on the team, but this former star for the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL is a talented offensive player. (Besides, we know that size in college hockey really does not matter when it comes to putting pucks in the net; see: Gaudreau, Johnny, Atkinson, Cam, and Gerbe, Nate.)